by DaCapo

Created on: January 07, 2010

Ever wonder: "Which Bible translation should I buy?"

There really are a ton of English translations of the Bible out there.
The major ones are: NASB, ESV, NIV, TNIV, NLT, KJV, NKJV, the Message.

Here is my basic stance on these major translations.

ESV = English Standard Version.
This is my favorite translation for being both 'essentially literal' and being highly readable. What does it mean for a bible translation to be 'essentially literal?' Basically it means that the translation philosophy was to try and depict as close as possible the literal words of the original text. At the other end of the pendulum is the 'dynamic equivalent' approach. This tries to carry over the impact of the original language rather than try to be literal in its translation. Typically, dynamic equivalent readings tend to be more paraphrased and easy to read. The essentially literal translations tend to be more literal, but also more difficult to read. Well, the ESV provides a wonderful balance of being essentially literal AND being written in very readable English. For any serious student of the Bible, the ESV is the translation that I recommend above all others.

NASB = The New American Standard Bible. This is another essentially literal translation. For the longest time, this translation represented the best scholarship in terms of manuscripts and being essentially literal too. However, the language is very very difficult to read. Even if the words are more modern than KJV, the flow of the sentence tends to be much less smooth. The NASB is considered to be even more 'essentially literal' than ESV. This means that it is a 'safe' yet kinda boring/tiring to read for extended periods of time.

NIV = New International Version. Probably the most widely accepted and loved translation of the bible. The NIV does a remarkable job of trying to strike a balance between 'essentially literal' and 'dynamic equivalent' translation. The language is probably the most readable. However, there are definitely some glaring areas in which accuracy has been sacrificed for readability. But you really can't go too wrong with this version. Again, my preference is the ESV, which has only been available since 2002, but if someone wants to go with an NIV, I would not stop them.

TNIV = Today's New International Version. This is an updated version of the NIV. Some of the language has been made more 'inclusive' or 'gender-neutral'. While overall the translation is okay, I would think twice about arguing any

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